


Malicious

by SeaBum



Category: Maleficent (2014)
Genre: Blue Eyes, F/M, Green Eyes, Love, Magic Revealed, Ravens, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-08 11:45:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1939809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaBum/pseuds/SeaBum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aurora Beudy had been a normal teenage girl for as long as she can remember. She had a loving family consisting of a mother, father, and over-protective brother. Granted, she hadn't seen her parents since she was a small child due to their joined business associations, but she was more than happy with just her brother. </p>
<p>Then Phillip Saunders transfers into her small-town high school. Needless to say, he scuffed up quite the scandal with his gorgeous facial features, toned body, and mysteriously sweet personality. </p>
<p>Fed up with the slow progress of the local police, Aurora embarks in a confusing and truth-seeking adventure when her brother, Daniel, goes missing. She eventually gets caught by Phillip's naturally good looks when he decides that he's going to help her. Both teenagers find out various secrets about themselves that they didn't even know existed. </p>
<p>Will those secrets be for the better, or for the worse?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

  

           The golden scepter grasped in the man’s hand felt cool to the touch, and matched the bejeweled crown resting upon his head. Upon shifting in his seat, he felt the soft cushions of his padded throne mold to his body, along with the furry, white fuzz of the ends in his spotted cape on his ankles as it swayed with his movement.  

    Said man sitting atop the guarded – yet still very open – balcony raked his eyesight across the spectacle before him. Hundreds of citizens had crowded around a single wooden post.

    A woman was nailed into the post, both hands bound together with one nail over the head, leaving only her hands visible.

  The woman staked upon the wooden post had her head bowed, hood covering her face. The man could see her pitch black locks of hair flowing soundlessly from the folds of said hood, and wondered if his guards had already killed her in her cell. She was suspected of witchcraft, committing multiple murders of citizens and soldiers, and stowing away from her crimes in the Morse.

   He glanced down as a pair of royal guards trotted their way up to his throne, the armor chained around them making quite a clatter. They had a small child’s thin, unconscious arms grasped in their meaty hands. She, too, had midnight black hair, same as the trialed witch’s.

   “What is it?” he asked, motioning to the two, earning a synchronized bow from both of them. The one to the left spoke first.

  “King Stephen, this child was found a few hours ago sleeping in the witch’s home. Captain Charles believes that it is her child. What shall we do with her?”

  King Stephen let his gaze settle to the small child’s frame. She seemed to be of no harm to anyone, but if she had the gall – or ignorance – to sleep in a witch’s home, then perhaps there was more to her than met the eye. The possibilities flitted through the king’s mind for a small moment.

  She could simply be a tired traveler, a lost child wandering the forests, an accomplice, an associate, or, perhaps, as the Captain said, a blood-related child. The last idea left an interesting bubble of curiosity in his mind, and it did not take him much longer to make a decision.

         “Chain her up and set her at the foyer, beside the witch. If she wakens, keep her awake. I want her to see this spectacle take place. Take haste with you; the crowd is growing restless,” the two nodded their heads in a swift motion, and lifted the girl higher off the ground.

 A thought flashed through king’s mind at the thought of a certain black bird.

   “Ah, and what of the boy – raven, crow – whatever the hell it is? What have you done with the witch’s bird?” The question leaves his throat before the two guards could trot away. This time, the one to the right answers his question.

   “I’m afraid that it got away, sir. The witch helped him escape before we fully captured her, as well. Three whole squadrons are still out looking for it, though. We’ll have him by the next sunrise,” he reported, earning a sigh from his king. Stephen simply gave a nod before waving a hand to signal their departure. They quickly made their way to complete his task.  

     His attention then turned to the massive commotion formed below him.

   The gathered citizens had started to cheer and yell at the Reaper who had wheeled his large, black, and foreboding chariot through them all.

  A sigh of relief flushed through the king’s teeth; much longer and the citizens would have started lighting their own torches.

   He followed the Reaper’s movements and readied himself as the executioner hopped off of the chariot to go into the back. Soon, another round of loud cheers hollered through the courtyard as he pulled out a large, blackened torch from the depths of his vehicle. A burst of flame lights the ground around him as the torch roars to life. 

        Seeing this as the prime opportunity, King Stephen silently raised his hand to signal for silence, and waited a mere three seconds before it was given to him.

     The loud clattering of the two guards from before clinked it’s way closer to the woman as they chained the small girl to a newly cleaned post not far from the executioner. The child was just starting to gain consciousness.

  The citizen’s many heads turned to their king for a moment before grinning in joy at the start of the trial. Or, burning, as some would call it.

       Stephen addressed the woman once the gathered people quieted themselves. But not before he noticed the slight fall of her hood as she turned her head and stared at the girl chained beside her, earning a satisfying view of her reaction for the king. Only a mother could look at a child like that, anyone with eyes could see it. 

    _So she is related in some sense. Good. Let this be a warning for the girl to not dabble in her mother’s hobbies._  He cleared his throat once before speaking before the kingdom.   

     “You, witch of the Morse, have been sentenced to death by the Royal Court. Have you any final words?”

        The woman made no move at first, and the king quickly came to the decision that they were to waste no time with her.

 She had a blood-soaked reputation of wreaking havoc wherever she went and sending many to their deaths in the process. If any chances were given, she’d have this whole court piled in a death heap.

    After a mere five seconds, the people started getting restless once more,

  “Get on with it!”

“Burn her to the ground!”

    “Witches don’t deserve any last words!”

   “She’s just stalling!”

   “Drop the torch already!”

         “Kill her!”

   The child was now almost fully awake, and groggily glancing around the courtyard at the people surrounding her. Stephen could tell that she was not fully awake, though her eyes wouldn’t miss the event about to take place.

     He raised his hand again, demanding their silence. The outbursts quieted, but faint murmurs could still be heard whisking demands away. At this, the witch finally lifted her head to her king, letting the black hood fall completely around her neck, revealing her facial features.

    She was just as beautiful as the rumors claimed, no matter how many bruises and cuts she had received from her beatings.

    The glow of her skin shone strangely against the flame’s light, almost making it’s tone seem silver. I could see the turquoise of her eyes from my throne. The two jagged stumps protruding from her skull sent a flash of pity into the king’s stomach. This creature was once beautiful; graceful wings; dark, sleek horns; silky black hair with color to rival the darkest of nights; skin like that of the gods; and the magical power to rival.

  
   He inwardly shook his head of those thoughts; they would only get him killed.

   “Well? Shall you speak, or the Reaper drop his torch?” the king demanded, earning many wide and satisfied grins from the crowd, including the executioner himself. Her deadly turquoise eyes grew dangerously evil, and a smirk played upon her red lips.

  “I ask only one thing of you,  _Milord_ ,” she spoke with a loud voice, audible to all, causing my blood to turn cold. My skin began to crawl, and nothing felt right about the way she talked so calmly, confidently, and … deadly.

   _She is doing something._ King Stephen hastily jolted to raise his hand and open his lips to order the Reaper to drop the torch, but the words flew from her own lips before he could do any of it. 

   “Have fun in  _Hell_!”

  The executioner took one glance at his king before immediately hurling the lit torch into the pile of oiled wood and straw. Everyone was torn; either shouting in triumph at the witch’s burning flesh, or concerned about her previous statement. The intelligent ones – including King Stephen and the Reaper – knew that a witch didn’t say something without cause.

    Shouts, cheers, and cries suddenly burst into an uproar.

   The witch was screeching her pain out; the iron around her wrists and ankles sizzling at her every move. Yet, through the screaming and thrashing, the king could tell that something wasn’t right. 

        A single, high-pitched scream could easily be distinguished from the massive roar of the crowd; the small child.

               She was now thrashing wildly in her chains, yelling a strange and widely foreign language at the witch, nothing but concern and desperation in her little voice. King Stephen’s eyes widened as he heard the chains around her body creak and groan with strain as she pulled.

   _Such strength! Has she_ ** _already_** _been thrown into the clutches of Satan?_

  The king quickly threw his hand up towards the Reaper, and the executioner nodded before hitting her on the temple with the handle of his ax.       

     The shouts, cheers, and cries suddenly plummeted in volume, concerned whispers now taking their place. The king turned his attention to the witch, and immediately knew that it was a mistake to allow the child to witness the event.  

       The witch’s eyes were trained on one thing; the child.

   Complete surprise and disbelief shone in her eyes, both so fatal they could be seen draining all of the reason and control from the witch by the king from his throne.

    He saw all pain-induced attention she gave to the flames around her cease. The flesh that was previously burning suddenly repaired itself, growing muscles, sinew, cartilage, and skin to look like it did not five minutes ago.

                _Oh, Christ almighty! She’s finally lost it!_

        He quickly rushed out of his throne and raced to the edge of the balcony on which the royalty watches such public events.

 

       “ _Run!_ All of you  _run!”_  Was all he said before returning his sights back onto the witch. The people glanced unnervingly between their king and the witch while subconsciously positioning their feet towards the doors. Soon, though, the screams flooded back into the court along with the sound of trampling feet. This time, though, the screams contained pure terror.

   “Milord, we have to go now, before it is too late!”  He turned to see that the whole squadron of royal guards had filed their way onto the balcony, and were waiting for him to either give a command or follow.

    King Stephen took a quick glance down at his scrambling subjects, “No, you all should be helping the citizens escape. We don’t have much time before that demon breaks loose.”

    The royal minister of defense – and captain of the royal guard – Captain Charles, stepped forward.

   “Sir, excuse my tone, but we’re called the  _royal_  guard for a specific reason. You come before anything else.”

    He held his hand out for his king to follow, but word from the royal adviser stopped them both and sent chills down all of their spines.

      He spoke, the forsaken tone in his voice deflating the words as he looked over the balcony.

     “Besides, Sir, I believe it is too late to worry about something such as that…”

  King Stephen turned and strode beside to him to see the most blood-curdling sight he would ever see.

  The word demon was a laughable understatement.

  
 

        The witch was unrecognizable; the flames that had not seconds ago threatened her life now spread around her harmlessly and had bubbled into a green hue. Her body — thankfully — still lay tied to the post, but was now engulfed by a black abyss formed arguably of shadows. To the king, it seemed as if the midnight black robe dawning her had come to life and swallowed her whole.

     It swirled and bulged; hiding all human-like feature from sight. Except for the eyes. 

   The only thing visible of her through the black abyss was the two turquoise flames erupting where her eyes were a few moments ago.

     A piercing roar seared through the courtyard and raked its ugly claws against the king’s ears. His hands shot up to cover them, and he shut his eyes in a pained wince.

      The familiar clanking of his guard’s armor faintly clattered as they all crouched and followed his actions.

  A deafening crash was heard through his palms, immediately followed by what felt like an earthquake.

    Heavy bodies then covered the king, as the soldiers dove to protect him as they all felt the balcony totter on its supports.  Pieces of buildings, statues, and ground were being flung everywhere, as the shadows enveloped the night sky and snuffed the stars out.

   The king felt his footing loosen and fall as the balcony was ripped form his feet, followed by an unbelievably strong grip of some rope-like appendage as the demon easily plucked him from the cascading rubble.

      The shadows had taken the form of a humanoid once more; horns now prominent and black wings indistinguishable from the other shadows that clouded her. The only thing the king saw was the malevolent turquoise flame of her eyes through her newly grown mask as she brought him closer, grip tightening.

        A throaty laugh came from the beast, sounding nothing like any kind of human.

     “Have fun,” the creature rasped as a ghastly white set of teeth ripped its way into a mouth and a wide, devilish grin spread its way across the mask. King Stephen was certain she could smell his fear, and the feeling only skyrocketed as he recollected what she had earlier asked of him.

    _ **Have fun in**_ **Hell** _._

           Tears spilled over his cheeks and screams rang from his throat before the monster crushed his ribcage into something that could resemble a smashed mirror. The loud crack of his bones sent an eerie chill upon the inflamed and decimated courtyard, the sound of his collapsed body followed a few seconds after as the beast dropped him.

     The shadows slowly faded back into the light, and as they faded, the creature morphed back into a more human form. Her mask remained as she carefully walked over to the small girl, who had been untouched by the green flames.

   “My child…

  
  
 

                                                     _Aurora_.”            

  
 

                                                        ***

 


	2. 1

 

        

         

  The woman, still cloaked in the shadows, cloak, and mask leaned down to caress the little girl in her arms. Their hair mingled with each other, and one couldn’t decipher the ending of the woman’s from the beginning of the child’s. 

        Hot tears threatened to flow down the woman’s dirty cheeks. She knew that this would eventually happen, but was too foolish to realize just how progressed the kingdom was.

  The woman blamed herself for this. She could have saved the girl, hidden her away and stowed her in a farmhouse, or an orphanage. But no, she had to be selfish and keep the lovely child to herself.

_I could have saved you. .  ._

   She gently raised her hand and caressed the child’s face in a motherly manner, speaking in a soft and saddened tone.

     “My child…

                                                 Aurora.”

                                                     ***

  Her turquoise eyes shot open, and she half expected to see the woman crouched over her with the shadowy embrace. Aurora could feel the sweat beading down her forehead, and the fading prickling sensation of nearby flames.

   But there were none. As she glanced around her room, everything was normal and just as she left it the night before. Except for she herself.

       Moist tears were streaming along her slender cheeks, mingling with the sweat, and she quickly swiped them away then ran a hand through her matted hair.

   “Jesus Christ. How many times have I had that dream?”  _Too many to count._

  A knock at the door jolted her awake and sent her towards the door. Daniel, her brother, stood on the other side as she opened it, smiling his award-winning smile that she herself had seen girls swoon over.

      “What is it?” She yawned, stretching her hand over her mouth to shield her brother from her morning breathe. He gave a low chuckle before answering.

    “Hey, Aurora, I’ve got to head out of town to take care of something at work. Do you think you can hold down the fort here for a day and stay out of trouble?”

  Aurora’s eyebrows furrowed together. Daniel worked as a manager of some hotshot clothing store a few miles away. Why would he have to go out of town? She crossed her arms and puckered her lips in disbelief.

    “And what, exactly, in your job description requires you to head out of town? You’re a manager, not the CEO.”

    A sigh whistled through Daniel’s teeth as he ran a hand through his black hair. Aurora had obviously asked two too many questions.

      “That’s exactly  _why_ they need me to head out of town. They have different – bigger – store a few towns over, and want me to fill in as it’s manager for an afternoon. I don’t exactly know what its means, but I’m hopeful it points to a raise.” Daniel stared back down at his sister, waiting for an answer. Aurora could tell that he was eager to get on the road, but she wasn’t quite done with him yet.

   “And what happens to the Corvette while you’re gone?” She drawls, nudging towards the option of letting her have the keys in his absence. Aurora had always gotten rides from her brother wherever she went, never to have the precious machine to herself because of Daniel’s “precautions”, as he called it.

   He honestly took his role as her brother too seriously, in her opinion. He was always breathing down her neck, watching her every move, and even tries to manage the kinds of friends she has. Not that she really had enough for that, though.

    Daniel glances from her wiggling eyebrows to her eyes before letting out an amused chuckle. To Aurora’s delight, he unhooked the singular key from his jeans and held them out towards her.

   She gave a sweet smile before greedily snatching for the glittering symbols of freedom. But she was too slow as Daniel plucked them higher, earning her attention and a frustrated huff. She whizzed her eyesight back onto him; almost annoyed.

    “Promise me you won’t go crazy out there. And be sure to be back before dark. I don’t trust you out at night with that thing.” The tone in his voice and the glint in his eyes told Aurora that there was nothing but seriousness in the conversation now. A small smirk played on her lips before she opened her mouth.

   “What? Don’t trust me – pshaw. I can handle myself perfectly fine out there. Unlike you, I’ve had friends let me drive their cars before,” that was partially true, she had driven a friend’s car before, but she herself doubted whether she could actually “handle herself” while driving at night. Daniel’s glare hardened, and she fought the initial reflex to back away.

    “I promise, dear brother. Nothing shall become of me; I’ll drive to school, attend, and once it’s done I’ll drive straight back here.”

  Lies. Nothing would be able to stop Aurora from taking a long, isolated, ride through the cold countryside of Oregon once she had those keys and Daniel made his way out of town.

    “You don’t have to do all that, now, just be back before dark. And pay attention to your surroundings on the road.”

    She threw her hand up in a mock salute, “Aye, captain!”

      He let out a satisfied grunt before dropping the keys into her outstretched palms. A grin rivaling the Cheshire cat’s quickly spread across Aurora’s cheeks.

      “Alright, I’m off. See you later. Oh, and do you think you could stop by the market and grab some more bacon? I cooked the rest this morning. Left some for you.”

  By the time he finished his goodbye, he was already across the hall and halfway down the stairs. Aurora hollered a quick ‘Okay, thanks. Be safe!’ before turning back into her room and taking up her usual schedule of getting ready for school.

    As she made her way to the bathroom, a tapping sound filtered through her ears. She paused and listened closer for the noise.

     _Tap tap._

  Scenarios swirled through the girl’s head as she took a few steps forward, still listening. Rain? A branch in the wind? Some hooligans throwing rocks at her house?

    _Tap, tap._

    Her ears told her that the sound was coming from the window, so she made her way over to it with caution. The white curtains ruffled as she drew them back to reveal the giant oak tree positioned directly across from her window. Confusion flashed through her mind. There was nothing out here. Yet the tapping had stopped.

   Her eyes then landed on the midnight black mass perched on one of the thick, inner branches. A giant crow was sitting and seemingly staring at her through the branches of the tree. She steadily opened the window in curiosity, and was amazed that her action didn’t startle the creature away.

      Giving, as it was winter currently, the two had no problem keeping eye contact through the twigs and thin branches of the tree.

   “What in the world–” the roaring of Daniel’s engine, which startled both the girl and the bird, cut her off. As Aurora jumped about three feet in the air, the crow seemed to have a small seizure of it’s own before taking off into the early morning sky.

        Daniel’s car rolled out of the driveway and stopped once it was in the street. The driver’s window rolled down and he stuck his head out to give a small wave. Aurora returned it, and watched her brother as he accelerated into the small town’s streets.

   She gave one last glance towards the sky, thinking about the bird, before closing her window.

                

              _Well, that was weird…_

   She turned and hesitantly continued her original trek to the bathroom, still thinking about the scene that just took place. Suspicion clouded her thoughts and distracted her from turning the water on for the shower.

                        _Daniel never waves at me._

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

  

 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

                "Yes, I’m sure. He left nine days ago. No, I haven’t seen or heard from him since. I’ll be sure to do that, thank you. Goodbye.”  
  
  Aurora crashed the phone back into it’s dock with a frustrated grimace. She had just ended the phone call to the local police about her missing brother. He still hadn't come home from that short-notice business call. Yet now Aurora had a small and lingering feeling that the trip wasn't very business-related after all.  
    What if he had gotten hooked on his old habits again? What if he’d gotten mixed up with the wrong people? Was he in a car accident or crash? No, he would've called or been heard of if he had. So many worrying thoughts swirled dangerously through Aurora’s head, she almost felt dizzy and nauseous to the point of wanting to faint. But she had to go to school for the first time in three days, otherwise she would stay here, wallowing in her own thoughts and problems. She still didn't quite know what had kept her from going out to look for Daniel herself. Maybe the possibility of him coming back to an empty house scared her too much.  
  
     Either way, he was gone and she had no idea where he’d disappeared to.   
  
  With a quick shower, a small breakfast consisting of a glass of water and a granola bar, followed by another confidence-boosting self-lecture, Aurora set her footsteps to the door and into her Corvette. Inside of the rear-view mirror, she could see her turquoise eyes glimmer with sadness and loneliness. Her brother has always been, and always will be her everything. Especially since their parents were so far away from both their children and each other. She could hardly remember their faces anymore. But Daniel’s smiling face had been doing the exact opposite -- it had been haunting her for the past week, and wasn't getting any closer to being the real thing. That was what had brought tears to her sea-colored eyes.  
  
    Glaring at her mirrors for another two minutes, keeping the tears on her waterline until they faded away, she finally let out another snivel and revved up her forest green Corvette. She was determined to act like nothing was wrong at school, even if it was truthfully killing her inside. Nobody would know about her brother, and nobody would be giving her pitiful looks and sad glances.   
  
              She would  _not_  be labeled as the abandoned little sister.   
  
  A hard expression passed over her facial features as she pulled into the school’s parking lot and onto the outside pavement. She was already getting strange glances from the students still lingering in the parking lot, but she ignored them and made her way through the massive double doors of the main entrance.   
  
  
   "A Few Minutes Later*  
  
        Aurora waved goodbye to a few of her school friends as she turned into her first period class. What she was welcomed bye shocked her to the point of stopping her in her tracks.   
  
   A familiarly dark-haired boy sat in the usually unoccupied seat across form her, and she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he was here.   
  
                Luxury Boy was sitting  _in her classroom._    
  
  Right next to him, a group of girls were hovered around him, like hummingbirds to a patch of Honeysuckle. She could practically see their heart-shaped irises as they watched his every move and pestered him about anything and everything.   
  
     Before she could get to confused, annoyance faltered through her as she realized that she would have to sit next to  _that_  everyday  _and_ hear it. A tired sigh passed through her nose and ruffled the few strand of hair resting on her chest. She could already tell that today would have a long first period, and hoped that this would be the only class she shared with the boy.   
   Though while she thought all of this, she still couldn't help but feel attracted to the strange boy. For one, he had an awfully nice car for a junior in high school, and his facial features like that of a veteran model out of some big-shot magazine. Needless to say, Aurora knew _exactly_ why those girls were hovering over him. 

   Who could have provided such expensive things for him, and why did he decide to be shelled up in such a  _boring_  place like Oregon? Aurora knew with all of her heart that she would leave to a bigger city as soon as she got the chance.   
  
            Aurora gave her head a small shake before continuing to her seat. She figured that she might as well get on with it instead of blocking the doorway. Luxury Boy immediately made eye contact, and a spark of something flashed through his eyes, though Aurora didn't catch it. His crystal blue eyes examined her closely before he brought her own unnaturally-colored ones up to see him staring.   
  
    "What?" Was all she said before sitting herself down in her chair. He stayed silent for a moment before flashing out a dazzling smile and shaking his head.   
  
         "Nothing, I just remembered you from the gas station. Are you new here? I got here about a week ago.”  
  
  A laugh escaped Aurora’s pink lips, sending chills through Luxury Boy’s spine. Though it was only a laugh, he felt stimulated by it and enjoyed it immensely. He immediately decided that he would do anything to hear it again.   
  
   A lock of her midnight black hair fell off of her ear as she shook her head in response, “No, I've been here for… my entire life. I've just been busy this past week.” Though it was subtle, Luxury Boy thought he caught a small look of sadness in the beautiful girl’s eyes as she explained herself. He suppressed the urge to furrow his eyebrows and question her about it. If she’d been out for a whole week, it was probably personal, and it wasn't any of his business anyway. So he brushed it off and feigned sadness by jutting out his bottom lip playfully.   
  
   “Aw, sad to hear it. Say, I don’t think I caught your name earlier. Do you mind pitching one to me?”  
  
        Another laugh sent another chill up his spine, and he almost grinned with the sensation.   
  
   "Sure, my name is Aurora. Aurora Beudy.”  
  
  
  
  
    As soon as Aurora said her name, she could tel that it had done something to the boy. His eyes dulled and his mouth almost went slack. A calculating stare consumed her, and sent everything around them into a black abyss. All she could think about was how empty he looked as he stared at her. It seemed highly impossible, but his eyes flashed a few shades brighter, almost white, and his eyelids fluttered for a moment. Subconsciously, he reached for his shoulder, and started rubbing it as if there was a rash or skin disorder on it. But Aurora couldn't see what it was due to the fabric of his T-shirt covering the area.    
  
        Though Aurora didn't know it, it was the look of a boy remembering something buried deep into his past.   
  
                        And she would wear the same stare, soon enough.   
  
  "Hey, how long are you going to talk to this weirdo, huh?”  
  
           At the sound of the female voice, both teenagers snapped back into reality and found themselves sitting in the classroom once again. Luxury Boy griped his head while Aurora gave him an unsure glance before lifting her head to come face-to-face with one of the girls hovered around him. They were all now glaring at her, and almost all of them had their hands on their hips in a defiant manner. Aurora furrowed her eyebrows at the mention of her.   
  
  Luxury Boy also looked up to the blonde girl and, with a small smile, gave a snark reply.  
  
         "She’s no weirder than you are, Alexandria. But I will be talking to her longer than you, if you keep calling people names like that.” Aurora had to stifle a laugh at the comment and the shocked expression of Alexandria as she was utterly humiliated by the new student. Aurora could tell that the other girls were divided between wanting to laugh with her, or glare at Luxury Boy. So far, most of them giggled.  
  
     "Besides, I've come up with a little bit of a headache. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll head over to the nurse’s office. And, no, I can make it on my own.” With that, Luxury Boy stood up and exited the classroom before class even started. The group of desperate girls let out a sigh and filtered back to their own seats or into smaller groups  once their main source of affection left.   
  
  
                      _Typical high school girls. They treat every guy like that, even Daniel._  
  
           Before she could snatch the thought away, it brought up the heart-warming smile that he gave her moments before leaving. The same smile that lead these girls to act the way they did around good-looking men, such as himself. Soon, she was fighting the slick pressure of her tears from falling over her waterline and ruining her facade.   
  
        _You can’t cry_ ** _now,_** _it’s only first period. Suck it up, Aurora. You’re a big girl, now._  
  
  It proved to be to much, though, and she found herself excusing herself from the classroom with the false pretense of a terrible stomach ache. The homeroom teacher gave her a slip for the nurse’s office, but that was the last place Aurora wanted to go at the moment. Luxury Boy would only remind her more of her brother and his skirt-chasing antics.   
  
          But before she could even turn the corner to exit through the front doors, she was caught by a teacher making their morning rounds. He asked for a means of permission to be out in the hallways, and escorted her directly to the nurse’s office once she showed him the small pink slip. A sigh silently passed through her lips as she opened the door to enter, not getting rid of the teacher until she went inside. But Luxury Boy was nowhere to be found. Neither was the nurse.   
  
   She silently thanked the God she didn’t believe in for that. Now she could wallow in her self-pity in solitude for a while.  
  
       She felt ashamed that she hadn’t already gone out and searched for her brother, or made more of an effort to look for him. She hadn’t even successfully contacted their parents, who should have known by now and made their way home to help the search. She was ashamed that while her brother might have been in trouble; she was at the house, sleeping safely in her bed and thinking about the dark-haired boy she met in a gas station.   
  
   “What happened to you, Daniel?” She whispered.   
  
 A single tear fell to the tiled floor, and Aurora quickly flinched when she heard a small gasp come from the doorway.   
  
         Luxury Boy stood speechless in the door, half staring at her and half staring at the tears rolling down her cheeks. His face contorted in worry and concern, and he rushed over to her side. His crystal blue eyes glanced all over her facial features, and she tried unsuccessfully to hide behind her hair. He held her face in his hand while gripping her own in the other. Aurora didn't say anything, for she knew that it would only come out in a croak. So she just let the tears fall effortlessly, and watched as Luxury Boy’s face contorted in pain even more at the sight of it.   
  
       Aurora felt his strong arms suddenly wrap around her frame as he sat himself up onto the couch and hugged her tightly. She made no movement and just let her tears soak into his shoulder.   
  
   “You know, crying doesn't suit such a pretty face.”  
  
            A strangled laugh tried to escape her lips, and she shook her head, “I guess crying suits me well then, huh?” Luxury Boy tensed up at her reply and buried his head into her neck.  
  
   “ _Don’t say that._ You’ll make me cry, too.” He whispered back, somehow tightening his grip on her. She felt like he was trying to crush her, but didn't feel like he knew what he was doing. He was just helping another student in need, she was sure that that was what he thought. He could treat every crying girl he met, for all she knew.   
  
         “I thought you said you had a headache?”  
  
                 A chuckle rumbled in Luxury Boy’s chest, vibrating against Aurora’s body. ” I did, but I lied about knowing where the nurse’s office was. I just needed some down time.” Aurora’s cheeks spread into a small smile, and apparently Luxury Boy felt it because he quickly snapped the two of them apart to look at her face. His own cheeks spread in a relived smile as he saw it.   
  
   "There’s the smile I've been waiting for. Mind telling me why you’re here?” He said, still holding Aurora by the shoulders. She gave a small shrug before looking down at the tiled floor. One could still see the small, beaded drop of the tear she left on it moments before. The last thing she wanted to do was tell him what had happened. he would surely laugh in her face. Anybody would laugh;  she was crying over the fact that she didn't know where her brother was.    
  
     “Don’t tell me. You rushed here in the hopes of seeing me again, and having me all to yourself?” Luxury Boy placed a hand frivolously onto his chest, feigning astonishment. Aurora let out a full laugh, and gave him a playful shove.   
  
         “Don’t get so full of yourself. I  _was_  going to go home, but a teacher caught me and dragged me in here.” She replied, not actually answering the question. Aurora felt better, crying in someone’s arms like that. Even if those arms belonged to a complete stranger with a toned body and good looks. The only saddening part about the whole ordeal was that those arms usually belonged to Daniel. Now he was the reason she needed those arms, and she had no idea where he was.   
  
     "You’re going home?” Luxury Boy asked, a saddened tone seeping into his voice, “Why?”  
  
             “ _This_ is why. I can’t go anywhere in this small, god-forsaken town without being reminded of…  _him.”_    She breathed out, motioning to herself and looking around the room. It was true. The town was so small that the two siblings had gone through every inch of it; going on adventures and living their lives together. For seventeen whole years, they had been together, and there wasn't a speck of dirt that they hadn't done something together on.   
  
   
      Though their home wasn't the ideal place to forget about it, it was the ideal place for her to cry her heart out and wait for him to return. She could worry about school once she got her brother back.  
  
           "And who, exactly, is ‘Him’?” Luxury Boy asked, leaning in to get her attention. Aurora could tell that he saw the flash of hurt cross over her face, as he himself wore one in response. She ran a hand through her thick, black locks and stood up, having to rip herself form his embrace. He let go freely, but something in her body made it hard for her to get out of it. Something was pulling her towards his embrace, but she didn't have time to investigate.   
  
            She had to go find her brother.   
  
   “Nobody. Just… Someone important to me. I think it’s about time I leave. Thank you, for… this. Whatever your name is.”  
  
    Without another word, Aurora turned for the door and made her way through it. She had officially made up her mind. She wasn't going to waste another second sniveling on the floor like a pathetic little girl and wait for someone to give her what she wanted. She was going to go out and forcefully get what she wanted.   
  
  
                   And she wanted her brother back.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
   Before she could close the door, though, she heard a small "Wait" come from Luxury Boy. She stopped to listen. A small flare of hope flashed in her heart, and she worried about what it meant. Nothing good could come from it at a time like this.   
  
         "It’s Phillip. Phillip Saunders.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
                                                                                                                                                 That’s my name.” 


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

    As Aurora sat silently in her Corvette, the bright white illumination of her cell phone lit her face up as she unlocked the device. It had been a whole twenty-two hours since the last encounter with Phillip, and she had spent them all researching and looking for her brother. It had been an official ten days since she last saw him.

           Though the car’s heating system was on full blast, Aurora could see the frost clinging onto the vehicle’s windows, mirrors, and hood. She shivered just thinking about the temperature outside. 

        “Damn winter. I hope Daniel isn't freezing to death out there, wherever he is,” she mumbled to herself. During the past twenty-four hours, she had successfully chased after every lead and hunted him down in every place she could either reach or remember Daniel hanging out in. None had come up with any useful information, much less her brother.

    Now she was forced to use the last lead she could think of, which was also the least likely to give her anything of use. The school’s large campus was outside of the car, and she had a total of two hours before first period started.

    She tapped on the social media app known as Facebook.

          She remembered that the chat boxes always told one if one of their friends were online or not, or how long ago they had been on. It wasn’t much of a lead, and even if it was fruitful, Aurora couldn’t use much with the information she acquired from it. But it was a lead, nonetheless.

  “Please, just tell me if he’s in an okay-enough condition to check his Facebook,” she pleaded the loading screen, gripping it with a tight squeeze and bringing it closer to her face. Seconds seemed like hours as the website slowly brought itself together. It was a known fact that the school put in service blockers all around the school’s property, making any kind of cellular device practically useless. But, if Aurora was lucky enough, she could take a quick glimpse at the app before it decided to completely shut down for the day.

    As soon as it was up and running, Aurora swiped the screen to the left and typed in Daniel Beudy into the search bar at the top. It almost instantly showed his name with the wide grin sparkling as his profile picture to the left. The small icon to the right indicated that he was no longer online, and as Aurora looked closer, she could read a small “online seven days ago” in text.

  A spark of confusion and hope flashed through her. Daniel had been missing for ten days, not seven. Did that mean that he was perfectly fine for the first three of those days? Or was that his final rescue call before someone killed him? The thought sent a cold sweat towards Aurora’s forehead, and she lowered the phone away from her face.

  “Where the Hell are you, God damn it?” She let out a tired sigh and glanced back at her phone. The letters danced back at her, taunting her with information that she couldn't comprehend.

   _Tap tap tap_

 

 Jumping a foot into the air, Aurora whipped her head to the left and saw none other than Phillip Saunders leaning next to her car, giving her his usual thousand-watt grin.

  He was knocking at her window, hand still raised against the glass. She stared at him confusedly for a handful of seconds before bringing her hand around and lowering the window. A gust of cold winter air flushed by her, sending a chill up her spine and goose bumps along her entire body.

 

   “Hey. What’s brought you out here so early?” Phillip questioned, propping his forearm against the windowsill to lean his whole body against it. Aurora could see the reddened flesh of his cold lips, almost the same color of his flushed cheeks. She reasoned with herself that it was probably quite cold outside for one not sitting in a heated car.

 

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that? We have two whole hours before school starts. Where’s your car?” Aurora replied, glancing around the parking lot for his sleek black Camaro. As far as she could see, her car was the only one in the lot, besides the few janitors’ cars parked behind the building.

 

   “Is someone concerned about little ‘ole me? Why, I’m flattered. Here,” before Aurora could understand what he was doing, Phillip reached into the Corvette, unlocked the car doors with the set of controls to her left, rounded the car, and placed himself into the passenger’s seat next to her. A wide grin spread across his face as he felt the warm air flush against his exposed skin.

  “Wait - what are you doing?”

Phillip rubbed his hands together and nodded to her car door’s controls, “quick, close the window, you’re letting all of the warm air out. Gosh, it’s cold outside. You’re right, I should’ve driven my car this morning.”

  Aurora just gawked at him, watching him act as if he had known her his entire life.

_Who gets into the car of a person they just met? Who in the world is this guy?_

 

 As Aurora sat there, taking her time to process what he had just done, Phillip stared back at her before letting out a huff and reaching over her to roll up the window himself. She lets out a small squeak before glancing down at his now very close head -- and body.

 

  The dark brown locks of luscious hair was perched perfectly around his head, and as Aurora took in a nervous breathe, she could smell a hint of lavender and a faint cologne of some sort. There was no grease whatsoever in his hair, and the jacket adjourning his sculpted back did him little justice.

   “There, that’s better.” Phillip let out a boyish smile, and Aurora caught it from his profile before he pulled slightly back into his own seat. But it vanished as soon as he saw her phone opened on the chat box of Facebook. His eyebrows furrowed, and then turned upward towards Aurora as he looked at her.

  “Who’s _Daniel_?”He questioned, a strange tone in his voice. Aurora didn’t know how to lie about her brother in this situation. Could she pass it off as a simple friend, or someone she had an assignment with in school. Though, Daniel was obviously older than anyone still enrolled in high school, since the wing tattoo on his back were clearly visible on his profile picture. If she told him the truth, would Phillip start asking other questions? Would he ask harder questions that she couldn’t give the answer to?

 

_Wait, Phillip is new here, I doubt he would even know who Daniel is, much less that he’s my brother. But what if he asks around, this town is small enough for everyone here to know who Daniel is. Damn, what do I do?_

 

     “He’s a relative?”

 

  Aurora immediately brought her attention to Phillip, eyes wide in shock. How could he know; she knew that she hadn’t said that aloud.

 

  Upon closer inspection, Aurora saw that Phillip had simply pressed Daniel’s name, sending her phone to his profile page. Thinking of ways to lie to the boy, she hadn't noticed him searching through her phone. 

   “Wow, he’s even number one on speed dial. Must be important.” Phillip commented again, now simply laying on Aurora and flipping through her contacts.

   “Hey, that is  _my_ phone, thank you very much. Who said you could go through  _my_ contacts?” She said, tugging her arms out from under him and grabbing her phone from his grasp. He let out a disappointed gasp before turning over on her.

 

   “Nobody. But I have to know.” Phillip gave Aurora a slightly nervous glance before continuing,

 

        “Is he the ‘Someone important’ you were crying about yesterday?”

 

 

  Aurora’s breathe almost hitched, and she found it to be slightly chuffed and on the verge of choppy when she let it out. There was no escaping it now; she knew that if she tried to lie he’d find her out. But she also knew that she’d probably show her weak side again if she confessed. How had he guessed so easily? What gave her away?

  Before she could stop any of them, all of the questions squirming through Aurora's head flew through her lips, a frustrated sigh following them. “Why? Why are you so concerned about me? What have I done to earn this kind of attention? Who are you? What do you want from me?”

 

 Phillip gave no immediate answer, but his mouth opened and closed slightly, almost gawking. After a moment, he spoke up from his own seat – which he had thankfully gotten back into. He turned his eyesight to her with a blank expression.

 

   “You still haven’t answered my questio-”

 

“Yes! Yes, he was the person I was crying about yesterday!” Aurora quickly interrupted him, earning a shocked expression and a slight gasp. Silence flushed the heated car, and Aurora let out a sigh. She thought that the sudden outburst had shut him up, but before she could apologize for answering so rudely, he spoke again.

 

    “What kind of relative is he?”

 

  “Why? Haven't I told you enough?” She countered, giving him a hard glare. This was the first time anyone – much less a boy – had asked her about her personal life, since Daniel already seemed to know everything about it and her.

     A wide grin spread across Phillip’s face, making confusion course through Aurora’s head. Had she said something funny? Not that she could remember. She could tell that he was suppressing laughter, and stared quizzically at him for a few seconds.

 

 

   “You still haven’t answered my ques—”

 

 

     “Oh my  _God_! Yes, we’re actually related! He’s my brother, alright!?” She snapped, flinging her hands in the air in disbelief. How could one boy be so aggravating and caring at the same time? She knew why he was asking these questions, but why he was being so persistent eluded her. Normally, at this point, she would have gotten so frustrated or panicked that she'd have either kicked the person out of her car or cussed them out at this point. Or both.

    But she knew, deep down, that she could never truly do either of those things to the boy sitting in her car. Especially not on a frigid morning like this, much less cussing him out. He had a strange effect on her, and she still didn't know how she felt about it -- or about Phillip himself. All she knew was that it made her feel more comfortable around him, and apparently more liable to let all of her problems out to him. Regardless if she had met him only a week ago, and learned his name less than a day ago.   
  
  Aurora could practically see the wheels turning inside of Phillips head, and saw his mouth flex and start to open into another question. Her irritation returned.

 

   “--And before you ask, I was crying over him because he’s gone missing. I don’t know where he is, how he’s doing, or if he’s even still alive or not.”

 

  For some reason, the usual tears that followed the confession she gave (normally to herself) weren't on the bridge of her waterline. Sure, she could still feel the faint prickling of threatening tears, but she was nowhere near crying.

 

    _Maybe this is also Phillip’s doing. He’s already affected me once in this conversation, why not right now, as well?_

 

     Now he didn't have another question to fire after her answer. He sat back in his seat and stared through the windshield. A thoughtful look shone in his eyes, and Aurora sighed to herself as she gazed at his perfectly chiseled jaw line.

     The only noise in the Corvette was the soft humming of it’s heating system. Getting tired of spilling her life problems out to a complete stranger, Aurora shut the heating system off and cut the engine. The keys jingled in her hand as she yanked them out of the ignition and stepped out into the cold morning.

 

  _Why did I tell him everything? How did he get all of it out of me? He hardly questioned me at all, yet I still poured out my feelings and concerns like I’d known him for my entire life! What is wrong with me?! Better yet, what's wrong with him?!_

 

  _Maybe if I put some distance between us, I’ll regain my composure._

 

  As predicted, it had already started working; a mere twenty feet had made her feel more reserved and more likely to keep a secret than she had felt a few seconds ago.

 

_So much for not having anybody find out about Daniel. . ._

 

 

   Students had started pulling into the school’s parking lot. Thankfully, the ones who had noticed her were still to tired and groggy to notice Phillip also getting out of the same car. As she briskly walked towards the front doors of the school, Phillip’s calls carried over her shoulder. Deciding that he had had enough answers, and that she was too afraid to stick around and tell him something else personal, she continued without stopping.  

     A hand clasped around Aurora’s wrist, and she saw her hair fling out around her face as she stumbled backwards with the force of the grip. Before she could realign her center of balance, she felt her right foot slip from underneath her, and heard the small yelp come from her mouth.

   Eyes tightly closed and body braced for either the heavy weight of Phillip to land on her, or the cold, hard ground to connect with the back of her head, Aurora almost missed the feeling of the two strong hands gripping her underneath the armpits. A strained chuckle strained from behind her, and she tilted her head up to see none other than Phillip smiling down at her.

   A blush spread across her cheeks as she let out the breath that was stuck inside of her throat.  


 “That was. . . Close. Good thing I caught you in time.” He breathed, helping her back into a standing position. She flung her black locks back behind her shoulder before sending him a sarcastic glare.

    “Yeah, good thing you yanked me as hard as you could by the wrist. It was a  _real_ life saver.” She replied, sarcasm dripping from the statement. Phillip let out a hardy laugh before returning his boyish grin. Aurora felt the strange bubbles float into her stomach at the sound of it, and couldn't help but crack a smile herself.

 

  “Well, if you’d just wait a moment, I’d tell you what I want.”

  Aurora’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He wanted something from her?

 

     “What could you possibly want from me? I hope it’s not more answers, because I feel like I've already given too many to you.”

  A serious glower quickly took the place of the boyish grin, and every part of him visibly tensed up. Aurora’s breath hitched in her throat, and she wondered what could be going through the boy’s mind. She could tell that it was important. 

 

    “ I just wanted you to know something.”

 

 Phillip's posture suddenly straightened and his chest slightly puffed out. Aurora could see his hands ball up into fists. He was determined about something, she knew that much at the very least.

  When it looked like he wouldn't continue, Aurora spoke up, “What is it?”

     A short puff of air huffed out of his lips, sending a cloud of steam into the air, and his alluring smile spread back onto his face.

 

 

 

 

 

   “I've decided that I’m going to help you look for your brother.”  


	5. Chapter 5

A soft groan escaped Aurora’s lips as she heavily sat down in her last period class. Yesterday had been the first day for Aurora to attend to all of her classes with Phillip at school. As the day wore on, she steadily and quickly realized that he was in every one of her classes, and that he even in her advanced classes, such as Calculus and German 5. Thanks to Phillip, Aurora now had no piece of mind anywhere on campus.

“Jesus Christ. What am I going to do? He’s clearly insane.” She muttered to herself, taking another glance at Phillip, who was now scribbling something onto a piece of paper. The posses of infatuated girls were present, as usual, and making just as much noise as they had yesterday.

For three hours, she had been listening to them swoon and giggle over everything Phillip said or did, and their high-pitched squeals were starting to get on her nerves. Sure, she had a high tolerance for the girls, but the first hour of them with Phillip produced more squeals and giggles than the whole group did by themselves in a week. 

Though he was getting all of this attention, all he ever did was sit quietly next to Aurora, partnering up with her whenever the class assignment needed it. She had spent all day yesterday trying to convince him that Daniel was her problem, not his, but he would just smile and pat her head like a child whenever he gave a response, if any.  
The sheets of paper he had been writing all over throughout the day were piling up, and Phillip would either cover them up with his forearm or completely put them away whenever Aurora came near. She had deduced by third period that whatever he was writing was in German, for none of the girls swooning over him could make anything out of it. Many tried to start up a conversation with a question similar to “What are you writing about?” and their answer was always a distracted “Something in German.”  
She didn't know what to think about any of it. But she did know that she wouldn't enjoy it when he finally decided to show her his plans. He was similar to a small child – goofy and stubborn. Most times Aurora thought it was down right adorable, yet now it simply frustrated her. 

Glancing up at the clock, she saw that they only had five minutes until the final bell rang, where she would immediately make a dash for her car and go look or her brother again – alone. She knew that if she gave Phillip the chance to catch up to her, he’d want to tag along. 

“Alright class, be sure to complete the assignment before the week is up, are we clear?”  
The class’s instructor, Mr. Bellworth, addressed the room full of teenagers, eyes landing on the inattentive form of Phillip, who was, again, scribbling away on his paper. Mr. Bellworth gave a curt huff before narrowing his eyes at him. 

“Mr. Saunders, are you clear on the assignment?”

When Phillip doesn't even look up from his work, the teacher takes a few paces forward, obviously annoyed. Now all of the eyes were on Phillip, who was oblivious to the situation around him. Aurora doubted that he’d even realized that they’d been given an assignment. 

“Mr. Saunders.” His voice rose slightly, now jolting Phillip’s head forward and making him focus on his instructor. Phillip’s mouth hung slightly ajar, and all of the students let out their giggles and stifled laughs. Mr. Bellworth gave him a scornful look, waiting for an answer. 

“Oh, um – me? Yes! Of course, of course, I've got it down, don’t worry, sir. Everything is perfectly fine, don’t mind me.” He gave Mr. Bellworth a boyish grin whilst the blush spread across his cheeks and he hastily shuffled his papers away and out of sight. 

By now, nobody in the class could contain their laughter, and were all loudly chuckling at the scene. Mr. Bellworth let a tired sigh out before nodding and returning to his desk, just as the final bell rang. 

Aurora cracked her own smile and quickly gathered her belongings to head outside and into her car. She thought about all of the trouble Phillip’s already gotten himself into – when he’s only been at this school for a week and a half. Yet almost all of the teachers (who weren't female) gave him a begrudging glance every time class started. 

He’s certainly not normal, that’s for sure. 

As she pushed her way through the open doors, her Jeep was in clear view on the descent of the front stairs encircling the school’s main doors. But before she could fully dig her keys out and unlock it, she heard a pair of thundering footsteps behind her, and immediately knew who it was.

Her feet reacted soon after, tearing out from under her and bolting for her car, which was now unlocked. She could hear Phillip’s shouts echoing behind her, but she didn't wait for him to catch up. 

“Aurora! Wait, wait a minute! Auror – Oh! Jesus, sorry! – Aurora!” Now the beats of his feet sounded like they were on the concrete of the parking lot, which meant he was catching up to her – and fast.  
Almost slamming the Corvette’s door into the body of its parked neighbor, she scrambled to get herself into the driver’s seat and buckle her seat-belt so she could speed away. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she flung the seat-belt back and started the ignition, almost getting angry with herself for wasting time on her safety precautions. 

The engine roared to life, and Aurora quickly rotated her upper body around to back out of the parking lot – not really caring if anybody was behind her at this point. If a few students had to be sacrificed so that she could search for her brother alone, so be it. 

I never really cared about any of them, any way. Well, except Annabelle. And Christian. . . And Beth. . . oh, Goddammit, never mind!

Yet, as she mentally scolded herself and reasoned that she could eventually pay off any suing fees someone threw at her, she still halted for the wide-eyed pedestrians she called classmates. Cursing at them all, she realized too late that she had left the car doors unlocked, and Phillip easily slid into the passenger’s seat, where he’d been hours before. 

 

She let out a tired sigh when her eyes saw his muscular form in her peripheral vision. A smug grin flashed onto his face, and he spoke with an equally smug tone in his voice. 

“Wow, you’re trying to drive like your ass is on fire.” 

Aurora let her arms fall back into her frontward sitting position, and she let out a tired sigh as she glanced up at the beautiful boy. How could she have not locked her car doors? More importantly, how had she not seen him before it was too late? He walked right past her window!

Time to add another frustrating ability on the list of Phillip Saunders. I sure wish Daniel would appear like that. 

She turned briskly in her seat, now just using the rear-view mirrors to back out of the parking lot. She kept a straight face and timidly glanced over at Phillip, who was still grinning like the Cheshire cat. 

“What are you doing in my car?” She asked, angry that suddenly there were no students anywhere to be seen behind her. 

Oh, now that I’m stuck here, you've all decided to get out of my way? Thanks, high school populace, thanks a lot. 

“Oh, nothing, just grabbing a ride. And helping you find your brother.” He excitedly rummaged through his jeans pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper he had been writing on all day. I took it from his outstretched hands and skimmed over his scrabbled cursive writing. 

“Oh, my God, Phillip. What are you trying to get us into? We can’t drive to Portland from here! That’s at least a seven-hour drive! We’re in Crowley, Phillip, not Salem! And my brother went to Diamond the last time I spoke to him, not all the way to Portland!”

As Aurora vented her disbelief at the boy in her car, Phillip’s expression only went from excited to ecstatic.  
“I know, but here’s the thing – I did some research on your brother – and don’t take that the wrong way – and there’s no clothing apparel store anywhere near here. His clothing department doesn't have a chain here in Oregon – Crowley is it’s only store in this state.”

Confusing flushed through Aurora’s head, swirling around as she tried to process all of what Phillip was telling her. Daniel never actually went to work on business trips? Yet he had been gone multiple times, for days on end – much like now, just not without communicating. Where could he have been going? What else had he been hiding form Aurora? Did he even have a job?

“What are you trying to say? Are you saying that my brother’s a liar? And where the hell are you getting all of this information?” Aurora shot back, almost getting defensive for her brother. Phillip let out a quick sigh before scooting closer to her in his seat.

“That’s the thing, I went through his social media profiles and found pictures of you and him at a coastal home on his Instagram. And this picture,” he pulled out a tightly folded photo “shows the city sign of Golden Beach – see it? It’s way in the back. Do you guys have a beach house there or something? Or is it a friend’s? Grandparents’? I think actually think we should try there first, and then work our way through the big cities from there if nothing shows up.”

Aurora’s head met her hands as she sighed deeply into her lap. He sounded like some sort of professional detective to Aurora, going on and on about the possible leads and linking factors. Aurora chuckled slightly to herself as she thought about the percentage of success with Phillip with her. 

I might actually find Daniel at this rate. Hell, I need Phillip. I can’t look for my idiot brother by myself. But our house at Golden beach, really? We only go there for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I go there myself in the summers now, since Daniel was supposed to have work to go to everyday. 

Aurora raised her head and turned to Phillip. A hopeful and apprehensive stare greeted her back. She could tell he thought she was going to kick him out of her car, or curse at him for being an intrusive stalker. But she knew that she’d do neither of those, in fact, she felt like hugging the boy. If anyone was going to help her find her brother, she knew she’d want it to be someone like Phillip.

No, it has to be Phillip. She felt her heart squeeze at the thought of spending five whole hours in the same car as Phillip, and then dropped when she rethought the scenario. Oh well, everyone has their flaws. I just wish I could find a quieter one with him. Aurora looked up at him with a calm smile on her face. She let out another chuckle before saying something very heart lifting to Phillip.

 

“Okay, Phillip, I get it. When do you want to leave?”


End file.
